Monday 1 January 1973 Two men were found shot dead
near Burnfoot, County Donegal, they had been killed by an unidentified
Loyalist paramilitary group. The United Kingdom (UK), including Northern Ireland, joined the
European Union (then the EEC). The Republic of Ireland also joined
the EEC on the same date. [Membership of the EU was to have different
consequences for the two parts of Ireland and also have more general
implications for the whole of the island. The Republic of Ireland
has over the years received more funding than Northern Ireland
from the EU for agriculture and to improve the infrastructure
of the country. Later, with the removal of internal border controls,
one physical manifestation of the economic border between Northern
Ireland and the Republic, namely the Customs Posts on every 'approved'
road, disappeared allowing for freer movement of people and goods
between the two parts of the island. See article by Jeson Ingraham.]

Sunday 14 January 1973 Two Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) officers were killed in Derry by a booby-trap bomb attached
to their car by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). A third RUC officer was killed in a land mine attack near Cappagh, County Tyrone.

Saturday 20 January 1973 A car bomb exploded in Sackville Place, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and killed one person and injured 17 others. The person killed was Thomas Douglas (25). The car used in the bombing had been hijacked at Agnes Street, Belfast. [No organisation claimed responsibility but the bomb was believed to have been planted by one of the Loyalist paramilitary organisations.]

Sunday 28 January 1973 In the run up to the first
anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday' there was serious rioting in Derry.

Tuesday 30 January 1973 Francis Smith (28), a member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), was found shot dead in the Falls area of Belfast. He had been killed by the IRA.

Wednesday 31 January 1973 A Catholic boy, Philip Rafferty (14), was abducted and killed by Loyalists in Belfast. A young Catholic man, Gabriel Savage (17), was shot dead by Loyalists in Belfast.

Thursday 1 February 1973 Patrick Heenan (50), a Catholic
man, was killed in a grenade attack carried out by the Ulster
Freedom Fighters (UFF). [It was later established that the UFF
was a cover name which members of the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) used to claim the responsibility for the killing of Catholics.] A British soldier was shot dead by the Irish Republican
Army (IRA) in Strabane. Frank King, a Lieutenant-General, succeeded Harry Tuzo as General
Officer Commanding (GOC) the British Army in Northern Ireland.

Friday 2 February 1973 A Protestant civilian, James
Greer (21), was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at
his workplace in Belfast. A Catholic civilian, Patrick Brady
(28), was found dead having been shot by Loyalists in Belfast. A member of the
Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Belfast. There was serious rioting in Protestant areas of east Belfast.

Saturday 3 February 1973 A Catholic civilian was shot dead by Loyalists at his cafe in York Street, Belfast. A member of the Irish Republican
Army (IRA) was shot dead by the
Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) in the New Lodge area of Belfast. Two Loyalists were detained,
and then subsequently interned (5 February 1973), because of their
alleged involvement in the killing of an innocent Catholic man.
Following their arrest a crowd of approximately 2,000 marched
in protest to the Castlereagh Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
station to demand the release of the two men.

Sunday 4 February 1973 A member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and 3 Catholic civilians were shot dead by members of the British Army in the New Lodge area of Belfast. Three other people died in separate incidents in Belfast.

Monday 5 February 1973 Following a decision to intern
two Loyalists, suspected of the murder of a Catholic man, there
was a call for a general strike under the auspices of the United
Loyalist Council (ULC) . [Although Internment had been introduced
on Monday 9 August 1971 and hundreds of Catholics / Nationalists
had been arrested and interned, this was the first time that Protestants
had been held under the Detention of Terrorists Order. This decision
was to lead to a strike by Loyalists and an upsurge in Loyalist
violence.]

Tuesday 6 February 1973 Although a number of 'moderate'
Unionist politicians called on people not to heed the call by
the United Loyalist Council (ULC) for a region wide strike, by
the evening cuts in the electricity supply began to affect Belfast.
[The ULC strike officially began on 7 February 1973.]

Wednesday 7 February 1973United Loyalist Council Strike The United Loyalist Council (ULC), led by William Craig, the then
leader of Ulster Vanguard, organised a one-day general strike.
The ULC was an umbrella group which co-ordinated the activities
of the Loyalist Association of Workers (LAW), the Ulster Defence
Association (UDA; the largest of the Loyalist paramilitary groups),
and a number of other Loyalist paramilitary groups. The aim of
the strike was to "re-establish some kind of Protestant or
loyalist control over the affairs in the province, especially
over security policy" (Anderson, 1994, p4). Many areas of
Northern Ireland were affected by power cuts and public transport
was also badly affected. These in turn had the affect of closing
many businesses, shops and schools. Loyalists paramilitary groups
used 'persuasion' or intimidation to force many people from going
to work and also to close any premises which had opened. A number
of Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) stations were attacked by crowds
of Loyalists. There were also many violent incidents throughout
the day with the worst of them centred around Belfast. Four people
were killed in separate shooting incidents in Belfast. Three
of these were members of Loyalist paramilitary groups of whom
two were killed by members of the British Army. There had been
eight explosions and 35 cases of arson. The strike was not very
well supported by the Protestant population of Northern Ireland.
Many Unionists were upset by the level of violence that accompanied
the strike.

Saturday 10 February 1973 Two members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were killed in a premature explosion near Strangford, County Down.

Thursday 15 February 1973 Albert Browne, then a member
of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), was found guilty of killing
a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in October 1972.
[Initially Browne was sentenced to death but this was later commuted
to life imprisonment. The death penalty was later abolished as
part of the Emergency Provisions Act.]
[ Political Developments. ]

Saturday 17 February 1973 William Craig, then leader
of Vanguard, address a rally in the Ulster Hall, Belfast. In
his speech Craig said: "Much though we wish to maintain the
Union we should all be seriously thinking of an independent dominion
of Ulster".

Sunday 18 February 1973 Two Catholic civilians were
shot dead by Loyalists in a gun attack on the Ravenhill Road,
Belfast.

Tuesday 20 February 1973 Two members of the British
Army were shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in an attack
in Cupar Street, Belfast.

Sunday 25 February 1973 A Catholic boy, Gordon Gallagher (9), was killed by a booby-trap bomb that had been planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Leenan Gardens, Derry.

Tuesday 27 February 1973 Two Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) officers were shot by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) near
Moira, County Antrim. [One officer died at the scene and the
other died from his wounds on 25 March 1973.]

Thursday 1 March 1973 There was a general election
in the Republic of Ireland. As a result of the election there
was a change of government. Fine Gael / Labour coalition government
took over from Fianna Fáil which had been in power for
16 years. Liam Cosgrave succeeded Jack Lynch as Taoiseach (Irish
Prime Minister).

Thursday 8 March 1973The Border Poll A referendum was held on whether or not the people of Northern
Ireland wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom (UK). This
referendum became known as the 'Border Poll'. However, Nationalists
boycotted the referendum and only 57 per cent of the electorate
took part in the poll. It was not surprising therefore that,
of those who took part, 98 per cent were in favour of maintaining
the Union with Britain. A British soldier guarding a polling station in the lower Falls area of Belfast was shot dead by the
Irish Republican Army (IRA). A Catholic civilian was found shot dead in an abandoned car in the Oldpark area of Belfast. He had been killed by Loyalist paramilitaries. The IRA exploded
two car bombs in London and injured over
200 people. (One person in the vicinity died a sudden death due to a heart problem; listed in appendix to Sutton.) One of the bombs had been planted at the 'Old Bailey' court in London. Two other car bombs were diffused. [Nine people
were found guilty of the bombings on 14 November 1973. Among those found guilty was Gerry Kelly. Kelly was later to become a leading member of Sinn Féin and played a role in the negotiations that led to the Goody Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998.] There were bombs in Belfast and Derry. Loyalist paramilitaries carried out a raid on an Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) guard at a polling station in east Belfast and stole 8 British Army issue self-loading rifles (SLRs) and ammunition. The members of the guard claimed that they were 'overpowered' by the Loyalists.

Tuesday 20 March 1973 A government White Paper entitled 'Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals' was published which proposed a devolved power-sharing 78 member assembly in Northern Ireland and a Council of Ireland. The election would take place under Proportional Representation (PR) and Westminster would retain the powers relating to law and order matters. These proposals followed on from a discussion paper that had been issued
on 30 October 1972 entitled 'The Future of Northern Ireland'. [There was an element in Unionist political opinion which was opposed to the idea of power-sharing and still favoured majority rule as the only basis for government. However, the idea of close links with the Republic of Ireland through the proposed Council of Ireland was one which would prove problematic to many Unionists.]

Friday 23 March 1973 Three members of the British
Army were shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in a house
in the Antrim Road, Belfast. The soldiers had been lured to the
house. A Catholic civilian was shot dead by Loyalists in Belfast.

Tuesday 27 March 1973 The governing body of the
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) the Ulster Unionist Council held a
meeting to decide its position with regard to the White Paper
published by the government on 20 March 1973. The council voted
by 381 to 231 votes to accept the White Paper. Nevertheless,
there remain strong opposition to the proposals even among those
who decided to support Brian Faulkner. [Following the vote a
number of members of the UUP left to form a new political grouping
on 30 March 1973.]

Wednesday 28 March 1973 A ship (the 'Claudia') was intercepted off the Waterford coast in the Republic of Ireland. It was found to contain 5 tonnes of weapons which were on route to the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

Friday 30 March 1973 William Craig, and some other
former members of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), formed a new
political party the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party (VUPP).
The VUPP was formed with the support of the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA). [In addition to having close links with Loyalist paramilitary
groups the VUPP also was prepared to accept an independent Northern
Ireland because of the inevitable Unionist domination of any new
government. Indeed the VUPP had one Loyalist paramilitary grouping,
the Vanguard Service Corps (VSC) directly linked with the party.]

Monday 2 April 1973 [Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Telegram from Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, to Liam Cosgrave, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), seeking further cooperation between security forces in Northern Ireland and those in the Republic of Ireland.]

Wednesday 4 April 1973 [Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Letter from A.W.Stephens, then Head of Defence Secretariat 10 at the Ministry of Defence, to W.K.K.White, then an official at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, about border security in Belleek, County Fermanagh.]

Saturday 7 April 1973 The Irish Republican Army
(IRA) carried out a land-mine attack on a mobile patrol of the
British Army and killed two soldiers near Newtownhamilton, County
Armagh. A member of the Official
Irish Republican Army (OIRA) was shot dead near his home in Armagh city.

Sunday 22 April 1973 One of the leaders of the
Irish Republican Army (IRA), Dáithí Ó Conaill,
addressed a public demonstration to commemorate the 1916 Easter
Rising in Dublin. Following the speech he managed to avoid arrest.

Sunday 13 May 1973 Two members of the British
Army were killed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in a bomb
attack on the Donegall Road, Belfast. A member of the IRA was killed as drove through an Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) Vehicle Check Point (VCP) in County Tyrone.

Monday 14 May 1973 Martin McGuinness was released
from prison in the Republic of Ireland having served a six months
sentence.

Tuesday 15 May 1973 The British government introduced
the 'Northern Ireland Constitution Bill' in parliament in
Westminster. [The bill received its Royal Assent on 18 July 1973.]

Thursday 17 May 1973 The Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried
out a booby-trap bomb attack on five members of the British Army
who were off duty at the time. The attack occurred in Omagh,
County Tyrone. [Four soldiers were killed on the day and the
fifth soldier died on 3 June 1973.] Loyalists killed two Catholic civilians in Belfast. The
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) shot dead a man in County Fermanagh.

Thursday 24 May 1973 The Irish Republican Army (IRA) killed two members of the British Army
who were searching a house in Cullaville, County Armagh.

Wednesday 30 May 1973District Council Elections Local government elections were held in Northern Ireland based
on the new 26 District Councils. The elections were contested
on a 'proportional representation' (PR) basis, using the single
transferable vote (STV) system, for the first time in Northern
Ireland since 1920. The turnout for the election was 68.1 per
cent of the electorate. There were a number of parties which
were contesting elections in Northern Ireland for the first time,
including: Alliance Party, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Republican
Clubs, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and Vanguard.
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) took 41.4 per cent of the vote,
while the SDLP won almost all of the Nationalist / Catholic vote.
[See the page on election results for full details of the local
government results.]

Thursday 31 May 1973 Loyalist paramilitaries carried out three bomb and gun attacks on Catholic owned public houses in Belfast, killing 2 men and injuring over 20 people. In the first attack at 8.30pm a Loyalist gunman believed to be a member of the
Ulster Freedom
Fighters (UFF), a covername for the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA), opened fire on customers in Muldoon's Bar with a Sterling sub-machine gun (SMG). A bomb was also thrown into the bar. Thomas Curry (50), a civilain sea captain from Preston in England, was killed in the attack. [It was latter revealed that the gun used in the attack had been stolen from a Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) base on 23 October 1972 (Irish News; 3 May 2006).] Later there was a bomb attack on McGlade's Bar in Donegall Street in which Gerard Barnes (31), a Catholic civilian, was killed as he walked pass the bar. Members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) were believed to be responsible.

Saturday 2 June 1973 Two Protestant civilians
were shot dead by members of a Loyalist paramilitary group during
an attack in Druse Street, Belfast.

Tuesday 5 June 1973 At the Northern Ireland Office
(NIO) Lord Windlesham was replaced by Lord Belstead as the government
spokesman on Northern Ireland. David Howell became Minister of
State at Stormont.

Tuesday 12 June 1973 Six Protestant civilians,
aged between 60 and 76, were killed when a car-bomb exploded in
Railway Road, Coleraine. The attack was carried out by the
Irish Republican Army (IRA) who had given an inadequate warning
of the bomb. A Catholic civilian was shot dead by the British Army in Belfast.

Thursday 14 June 1973 James Callaghan, then shadow
Foreign Secretary, speaking in the House of Commons, said that
Britain might reconsider its position with regard to Northern
Ireland if the Assembly was 'sabotaged'.

Saturday 23 June 1973 Harold Wilson, then leader
of the Labour Party, said that if the principals in the White
Paper were rejected it might be necessary to reconsider the relationship
between Britain and Northern Ireland.

Monday 25 June 1973 Three members of the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) were killed when a bomb they were transporting
exploded prematurely on the Gortin Road, near Omagh, County Tyrone. A Protestant civilian was shot dead by Loyalists in Belfast.

Tuesday 26 June 1973 Paddy Wilson (39), then a
Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Stormont Senator, and
Irene Andrews (29), then his secretary, were found stabbed to
death in a quarry on the Hightown Road, Belfast. They had been
killed by members of the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) a covername for the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). [John White was later convicted for his part in these killings. White was later to become a leading spokesman for the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) and was involved in the negotiations that led to the 'Good Friday' Peace Agreement on 10 April 1998.] A civilian employed by the British Army was shot dead by the IRA as he left an Army base in Derry. A Catholic civilian died four days after been shot by the British Army in Derry.

Thursday 28 June 1973Northern Ireland Assembly Election Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly
were contested in Northern Ireland. There was some violence during
the day, some of which was directed against a number of polling
stations. However, the turnout was high at 72.3 per cent. The
election gave those parties supporting the White Paper 52 seats
whereas those parties against the paper obtained 26 seats. However,
a number of the candidates who were elected with the 'pro-White
Paper' parties were themselves against the proposals so reducing
the margin in the new Assembly. [See the page on election results
for full details of the Assembly results.]
[ Political Developments. ]

Sunday 1 July 1973 William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State, travelled to Chequers for a meeting with at 8.00pm with Edward Heath, then British Prime Minster. [Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Note of meeting between William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State, and Edward Heath, then British Prime Minster. ]

(?) July 1973 Liam Cosgrave, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), flew to
London for a meeting with Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister.

Tuesday 17 July 1973 Two members of the British
Army were killed by a booby-trap bomb that had been planted by
the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Divis Flats, Belfast. A Catholic civilian was killing in a Loyalist bomb attack in Crumlin, County Antrim.

Sunday 5 August 1973 A Catholic husband and wife,
Francis Mullan (59) and Bernadette Mullan (39), were found shot
dead at their farmhouse near Moy, County Tyrone. They had been
killed by an unidentified Loyalist paramilitary group.

Monday 6 August 1973 Kenneth Littlejohn, one of
two brothers arrested during a bank robbery in the Republic of
Ireland, claimed during his trial in Dublin that he had been working
for British Intelligence (MI6) in an attempt to infiltrate the
Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA). [Littlejohn was later
to receive a sentence of 20 years imprisonment. At no time did
the British government comment on the allegations.]

Saturday 11 August 1973 Two members of the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) were killed when the bomb they were transporting
exploded prematurely near Castlederg, County Tryone. A Protestant civilian was shot dead by Loyalists in Belfast.

Sunday 12 August 1973 The Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) tried out a new plastic baton round during a riot. [The
plastic baton round was eventually to replace the rubber baton
round that had been in use since 2 August 1970.]

Thursday 16 August 1973 Two members of the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) died when a mortar bomb exploded prematurely
during an attack on the join British Army / Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) base in Pomeroy, County Tyrone.

Saturday 25 August 1973 Loyalists shot and killed
3 Catholic civilians during an attack on their place of work on
the Cliftonville Road, Belfast.

Wednesday 29 August 1973 The Irish Republican Army
(IRA) planted two bombs in Solihull, England and also planted
an incendiary device in Harrod's store in London.

Friday 31 August 1973 Two members of the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) were shot by British Army soldiers in Ballymurphy,
Belfast. [One IRA member died on the day and the other died on
22 September 1973.]

Monday 10 September 1973 There were two bomb attacks
at train stations in London; the attacks were carried out by the
Irish Republican Army (IRA). At 1.00pm a small bomb exploded at King's Cross Railway Station, London. At 1.05pm the Press Association received a phone call warning of a bomb at Euston Railway Station. At 1.15pm another small bomb (estimated at 2-5 pounds of explosives) exploded outside the Rail Bar at Euston Station, London. There were no deaths but 12 people were injured in the blast.

Sunday 16 September 1973 Tommy Herron, then vice-chairman
of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), was found shot dead at
Drumbo, near Lisburn. [Various claims were later made about who
was responsible for his killing. Some people suggested that he
may have been killed by elements within the UDA because of his
alleged involvement in racketeering. Others suggested that a
branch of British Army intelligence may have been involved.]

Tuesday 18 September 1973 Edward Heath, then British
Prime Minister, gave a media interview where he said that if the
Northern Ireland Assembly failed to establish a power-sharing
Executive by March 1974 then the best option would be to integrate
Northern Ireland fully into the United Kingdom (UK).

Sunday 23 September 1973 A British soldier was killed
when trying to defuse a bomb which had been planted by the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) in Birmingham.

Monday 24 September 1973 Garret FitzGerald, then Irish
Foreign Minister, said that the British and Irish governments
had agreed on the formation of an Executive for Northern Ireland,
and on the reform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the
reform of the civil service, and on the creation of a Council
of Ireland.

Friday 5 October 1973 William Whitelaw, then Secretary
of State for Northern Ireland, chaired a series of talks at Stormont
Castle, Belfast, on the question of forming an Executive to govern
Northern Ireland. The talks involved representatives of, the
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
(APNI), and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). The
parties disagreed on issues related to internment, policing, and
a Council of Ireland, but did manage to make progress on other
less controversial areas in the social and economic spheres.
[See also: 9 October 1973; 16 October 1973]
[ Political Developments. ]

Monday 8 October 1973 A group of Ulster Unionists
who were opposed to sharing power with the Social Democratic and
Labour Party (SDLP) called for the resignation of Brian Faulkner,
then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).

Tuesday 9 October 1973 Representatives of the Ulster
Unionist Party (UUP), the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI),
and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), met again at
Stormont Castle, Belfast for further talks. The parties announced
that they had reached agreement on an economic and social programme.

Tuesday 16 October 1973 Representatives of the Ulster
Unionist Party (UUP), the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI),
and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), met again at
Stormont Castle, Belfast, for additional talks on the possibility
of devolved government for Northern Ireland. The position of
the parties on matters related to law and order were beginning
to move closer to each other although there remained serious differences
of opinion on specific issues.

Tuesday 23 October 1973 The Standing Committee of
the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) voted by 132 to 105 to support
a policy which would allow UUP members to take part in any future
power-sharing executive. [While Brian Faulkner, then leader of
the UUP expressed his public pleasure at the result, the narrowness
of the victory was an indication of deep divisions within the
UUP.]

Wednesday 31 October 1973 The Irish Republican Army
(IRA) use a hijacked helicopter to free three of their members
from the exercise yard of Mountjoy Prison, Dublin. On of those
who escaped was Séamus Twomey, then Chief of Staff of the
IRA. [Twomey was recaptured in December 1977.]

(?) November 1973 The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) began what was to be a 43 day
ceasefire.

Thursday 1 November 1973 Jamie Flanagan replaced Graham
Shillington as the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC). Flanagan was the first Catholic to hold this post.

Wednesday 14 November 1973 In London nine people were
found guilty of planting bombs in the city on 8 March 1973. Eight
of those found guilty received life sentences. Of these six admitted
to membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

Friday 16 November 1973 [Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Letter, and annexes, about 'Operation Folklore' from Mr A.W.Stephens, then Head of Defence Secretariat 10, to Mr V.H.S.Benham, an official at the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) in London. The letter discussed the possibility of British soldiers being able to open fire in Northern Ireland without fear of legal penality.]

Tuesday 20 November 1973 The Ulster Unionist Council,
then the policy making branch of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP),
voted by 379 to 369 in favour of power-sharing.
[ Political Developments. ]

Wednesday 21 November 1973Executive Agreed Agreement was reached between
various political parties about the establishment of a power-sharing
Executive to govern Northern Ireland. William Whitelaw, then
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, appeared on the steps
of Stormont (with tears in his eyes) following the final negotiations.
The Executive was to consist of 11 members. [The actual composition
was to be 6 Faulknerite Unionists, 4 Social Democratic and Labour
Party (SDLP), and 1 Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI).
There were also to be 4 non-executive office holders who would
not have a vote: 2 SDLP, 1 Unionist, and 1 APNI.]
[ Political Developments. ]

Thursday 22 November 1973 Edward Heath, then British
Prime Minister, appointed the new Executive. Brian Faulkner was
to become the Chief Executive and Gerry Fitt was to be his Deputy.
[News of the Executive was welcomed by politicians in Britain
and in the Republic of Ireland, but Loyalists rejected the proposals.
The matter of the Council of Ireland was left outstanding and
wasn't resolved until agreement was reached at Sunningdale 6 -
9 December 1973.]
[ Political Developments. ]

Friday 23 November 1973 William Whitelaw, then Secretary
of State for Northern Ireland, gave details of the agreement on
the Executive to the House of Commons at Westminster.

Wednesday 28 November 1973 Assembly proceedings were
halted due to verbal assaults on those who had been named as members
of the proposed Executive. The disruption was caused by Loyalists
and those opposed to the new Executive. Eventually the meeting
of the Assembly had to be adjourned.

Monday 3 December 1973 Francis Pym succeeded William
Whitelaw as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. [Many people
were critical of this particular change given that the talks on
the crucial issue of the Council of Ireland were scheduled to
begin on 6 December 1973. Pym it was believed had comparatively
little knowledge of Northern Ireland.] Harry West and other 'unpledged'
Unionists announced the setting up of a new group called the Ulster
Unionist Assembly Party (UUAP). The UUAP later held a joint meeting
with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Vanguard in the
Ulster Hall, Belfast.

Tuesday 4 December 1973 Francis Pym, then Secretary
of State for Northern Ireland, held a meeting with Ian Paisley,
then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Paisley stormed
out of the meeting having been told that Loyalists would not be
invited to participate in the Sunningdale conference but could
come to put their point of view.
[ Sunningdale. ]

Wednesday 5 December 1973 During a meeting of the Assembly
pro-Executive Unionist members were physically attacked by Democratic
Unionist Party (DUP) and Vanguard members. Police were called
to the Assembly.

Thursday 6 December 1973 William Craig, then leader
of Vanguard, Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist
Party (DUP), and Harry West, then leader of the grouping called
the Ulster Unionist Assembly Party, held a joint rally in the
Ulster Hall and formed the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC)
to try to oppose power-sharing and to bring down the power-sharing
Executive. The rally was attended by approximately 600 delegates
from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) constituency associations.

Thursday 6 - Sunday 9 December 1973Sunningdale Agreement The Civil Service Staff College at Sunningdale in England played
host to a conference to try to resolve the remaining difficulties
surrounding the setting up of the power-sharing Executive for
Northern Ireland. Sunningdale was the first occasion since 1925
that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), the Taoiseach
(Irish Prime Minister), and the Northern Ireland government -
in the form of the Northern Ireland Executive (designate) - had
attended the same talks on the future of Northern Ireland. Edward
Heath, then British Prime Minister, and Liam Cosgrave, then Taoiseach,
and senior ministers attended in addition to representatives of
the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Social Democratic and Labour
Party (SDLP), and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI).
The participants discussed a number of matters but the main item
of concern centred on the unresolved issue of the 'Irish Dimension'
of any future government of Northern Ireland. Proposals surrounding
this 'Irish Dimension' were finally to be agreed in the form of
a proposed Council of Ireland. The elements of the proposed Council
were that it would consist of a Council of Ministers and a Consultative
Assembly. The Council of Ministers was to be comprised of seven
members from the Northern Ireland Executive and seven members
of the Irish government. This Council would have executive and
harmonising functions and a consultative role. The Consultative
Assembly was to be made up of 30 members from the Northern Ireland
Assembly and the same number from the Dáil. This Assembly
was to have advisory and review functions. [A
communiqué was issued on 9 December 1973.]
[ Sunningdale; Ulster Workers’ Council Strike. ]

Monday 10 December 1973 Loyalists announced the establishment
of the Ulster Army Council (UAC) to resist the proposed Council
of Ireland. The UAC was an umbrella group for the main Loyalist
paramilitary groups and included the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

Monday 24 December 1973 Two members of the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) and a Protestant civilian were killed in
a bomb attack on a public house in Monaghan Street, Newry, County
Down. The bomb was being planted by the IRA and exploded prematurely.

Monday 31 December 1973 [Public Records 1974 - Released 1 January 2005: Statement by the Northern Ireland Executive following its first meeting at Stormont Castle, Belfast, on Monday 31 December 1973. The statement set out the Executive's hopes for the future and called on people in Northern Ireland to allow 1974 to be "The Year of Reconciliation".]
[ Sunningdale; Ulster Workers’ Council Strike. ]

Notes
Each entry contains information, where relevant, on the following topic areas:

Major security incidents

Political developments

Policy initiatives

Economic matters

Other relevant items
Information contained within square brackets [ ] may contain commentary or information that only became publicly available at a later date. Any piece of information which is followed by a question mark in parenthesis (?) is a best estimate while awaiting an update.